This relates to mathematics-based business solutions, and more particularly, to a guided provision of business solutions, for example, on the Internet.
Accessing programs through the Internet is not new. In one form of accessing, providers of software offer users to buy software via the Internet, and to download updates via the Internet. There are also many sites that offer xe2x80x9cfreeware,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cshareware.xe2x80x9d In all of these applications, the final resting place of the application is the user""s PC, workstation or terminal. Another form of accessing is application hosting. Providers of application hosting, often referred to as applications service providers or ASPs, structure financial arrangements with users where, for a specified fee, the user can access and execute various applications on the provider""s server. That is, the user is connected to the site, activates a particular application that he or she chooses, provides the data for the applications, and receives the results. The results are typically stored in the user""s PC, workstation or terminal, or are printed on the user""s printer. One such ASP, for example, can be found at http://www.corio.com. This ASP offers access to various applications based on a monthly fee; e.g., a xe2x80x9cReturn on investmentxe2x80x9d (ROI) application.
With respect to solving business applications, this is a partial step in the right direction because it frees the businessman from buying and maintaining numerous software packages. Alas, it is wholly focused on providing what the user already knows that he, or she, needs or wants. It is wholly inadequate for the businessman who is not computer and operations systems savvy.
An advance in the art is realized with an arrangement and a method for providing application software in a user-friendly way; in particular, software that solves business problems by invoking solutions of generic mathematical problems which are hidden from the user. In one realization, for example, the arrangement is embodied in an Internet site that presents a web page to a user. The web page presents its wares in lay terms, couched in terms of business problems that need to be solved. Moreover, the collection of software that is offered to the user is structured, in a tree fashion for example, to allow for easy navigating by unsophisticated users through the collection. The structure facilitates the user reaching the business problem that the user is interested in solving, and once the user identifies and selects the business problem that the user is interested in solving, the correct generic mathematical problem is executed. The user is prompted for input data, and a solution is provided in response to that data.